EXTRAVAGANZA

It was quite the extravaganza at our home yesterday. We had twenty-two family members from both sides over for Easter dinner. It was so fun to get together with our families and enjoy such a special day with one another. 

I started off with making name cards for the place settings. Technically they aren't 'cards' but everyone had a specific seat. This is what they looked like - 

Basically, I took rolled tin foil into a ball, covered it with sculpey clay, stamped the names, baked them in the oven and then colored them in with a fine-tip pen. They all turned out SO cute! 

The Easter menu was so fun to put together. I worked hard the last couple of days to get everything prepped and ready and it all came together nicely. The menu consisted of:

- Honey Baked Ham with sweet honey mustard sauce

- Citrus Salad with Lemon vinaigrette 

- Tossed Salad with Red onion dressing

- Roasted asparagus with stemmed carrots 

- Sweet potatoes and Yams

- Rolls

- Raspberry-Lemon layered cake- Brownies- Cupcakes- Mixed Fruit - Lemon-lime water 

My very first scratch made cake EVER! It was uberly yummy.

Happy Easter. How tweet it is. Bunny cupcakes for the kiddies

Everything was really tasty and I was really happy how it all turned out. A big shout out goes to Sweets for doing so much to help get everything ready. He was a huge life-savor and I couldn't have pulled out all the cooking/cleaning/baking/setting up/gifts/decorations/etc with out him!

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR FOOD?

Ever since I was a little girl, my mother taught me to eat by color. She taught me that certain colors would benefit my body in different ways and that I needed to make sure that I had a "colorful" plate of food so that I would grow up to be healthy and strong. For example, carrots will help my eyes to see clearly, strawberries will help my hair grow red (which it clearly did :)) and lettuce would help my bum tissues so I wouldn't have poochin problems. The lengths that parents will go to make thier kids eat healthy and the suckers that children are...too funny!

 All of the meals that my mom made for us were indeed just that. Very Colorful! I always hated eating the food because I didn't want to disturb the beautiful rainbow of food, but then I would catch a sniff of the most delish meal and chow down. My mother is by far the best cook that I know...and that's the truth. I believe part of cooking a great meal is the passion behind the cook, and my mother has it! 

As I have been learning the art and passion of cooking over the past few years, I have tried to implement this same knowledge. I try to make all my meals colorful from the appetizer to the dessert. Secretly if I can't find foods that are a yummy complimentary color I will just add coordinating spices instead. No one ever knows this or pays attention but mentally I feel the meal is complete. 

I have officially decided, with a smidgen of fine-tuning, this years Easter Feast. It should be (I hope) a very colorful dinner for all to enjoy!    

UMMM...WHAT IS THAT?

This is what my super sweet Sweets said to me when I showed him what I made last night. He made the weirdest face, I'm bummed I didn't capture a pic of it. So, ya'll know that I literally suck at baking desserts! I tell you when I cook that I don't know how to make desserts. I seriously can't make anything that falls under the dessert category, i.e. cookies, cake, truffles, cupcakes, custard, jello, candy, hot fudge, etc. I have tried and tried but it is just NOT my cup of tea. However, if you ask me to prepare a meal...HECK YES is my response. I can whip out the whole schmorgesborg in no time flat and it 99% of the time tastes divine! (stay turned for the Easter meal I'm preparing...you'll love it). Last night I decided to try and make these easy "bunnies". Yep - Nope! They tasted great but looked so ridiculous. 

Once again, I suck at making desserts so puhleez don't judge me. I am sensitive these days. I melted semi sweet mixed with dark chocolate over the stove at a simmer. I inserted Popsicle sticks into the rice krispies and dunked them in the chocolate. Once they cooled and hardened, I put some frosting on them. 

As you can see, they all look so silly and so anti-climatic Easter dessert fun. For one, I should have used gel icing instead of frosting so I could have 'painted' the ears and eyes on, but I would only have known that if I actually was good at dessert making. Oh and for two, I probably could have made my own rice krispies but that is just waaayy right field for me. They never would have held up! Anyway, here you have my chocolate covered rice krispies treats with bunny faces! I'm am sure ya'll can come up with a better way and a better design than I did, but at least you have a project with the kiddies for the weekend!

They actually did taste uberly good. Next time, I think I will add a layer of PB before I dunk them in chocolate, if there is a next time!

DUALLY NOTED

Sweets spent Friday and Saturday in Castle Dale (outside Moab near Price) playing cowboy with a group of his friends. It is an annual trip that they take to the Johanson Ranch to herd cows, ride horses, brand cattle etc. They all had a great time and no one was hurt this year! WHEW! Once they were finished, I met up with him and we took our own little vacation.

Sweets and I spent the later part of Saturday through Monday in Moab! What an incredible place. The weather was perfectly warm and we loved being out on the trials jeeping! Some of you may not find excitement in sitting in a beefy jeep bouncing all around (sometimes violently) crawling at 2 mph for hours at a time, but we sure do! There is something to be said about putting all your faith into the tools available and completing an obstacle in the middle of nowhere surrounded by beautiful red rock! 

Hells Revenge

Hells revenge

Fins n things

We are so lucky to live in Utah. We are home to some of the most beautiful places on earth and we don't ever take that for granted. As we sat on Sunday afternoon eating our picnic lunch in the middle of slick rock, we contemplated our blessing and felt so much gratitude for the things that we are able to experience in this life together. The scenery around Moab is gorgeous and we enjoy every opportunity that we have to go down there and be succumbed by it.


We had an awesome time and we can't wait for the next trip. 

SIMPLY ... JOY

Meet Chad!

only pic i have - sorry

Chad is a boy who loves to climb with Splore every week. Yesterday I had the privilege of working with him. Chad is pretty much non-verbal (except for words like dad, climb, smile, foot) but does use American Sign Language. In addition to climbing, he loves to run around Momentum and have you chase him, and normally I would be up for this game, however I made the mistake of unhooking him first, so when I went to chase him I got tied up in the ropes and fell backwards on the ground! (note to self, unhook ME first.) Anyway, after I caught him I asked him to expend some of his energy that he had and push himself real hard for me today and climb a 5.9. (for those who don't understand climbing, a 5.9 is a really intense degree level climb and is extremely difficult for children). I moved him over to the wall and grabbed the ropes to get us hooked in to start climbing. While he doesn't communicate back to you, he does understand everything that you tell him to do. A few climbing placements and rest times later, he made it to the top and gave me a BIG smile and thumbs up!!! He then motioned for me, using ASL, and began repelling down the wall screaming "Dad". As soon as his feet touched the cushions and before I could untie him, he ran to his dad and gave him a huge hug. It took everything I had not to cry at this beautiful sight. 

Working with these children every week is such a blessing. I can't wait for work to be over so I can go be with them and see the happiness that rock climbing brings to their face. I learn so many wonderful things like patience, love, the importance of eye contact and positive communication, love, gratitude and simply ... joy from them! There is a special aura that is emanated that is so addictive. I hope I can always work with Splore in helping give children with disabilities the opportunity to increase their trust, fine/gross motor skills and self-esteem through recreational activities. 

"No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child" Abraham Lincoln

SPRINGTIME ANNIVERSARY

When I was little, I never loved celebrating Easter. I didn't understand it. A holiday about eggs and bunnies? And Jesus' death mixed in the middle?

WHAT?!? I mean, I wasted no time searching for the hidden decorative eggs, eating all the candy and checking out what was inside my Easter basket, but I never fully understood what Easter meant. With growing up and getting more wisdom with age (I hope) I have found a new place for Easter in my heart. Easter is not the celebration of my Savior's death like I used to think, but rather of His Resurrection. The mere fact that he was able to overcome death is the greatest gift, for He gave us our Resurrection.

 

I am so excited to celebrate Easter this year with my Sweets to reflect on our Savior, His Resurrection and the Atonement. I have been planning many fun things for the up-coming HOLYDAY (holiday) to make it special for us. Our tummies and hearts will be full by the end of the day! 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" john 3:16

CRAFT ROOM: PART 1

I was so excited to get my craft room started last weekend, that I cleared my schedule (somewhat) on Friday and spent my time clearing out boxes, finishing a few projects and building my storage cubbies. I am so happy that things are finally starting to take shape with the room. Here are a few things that I worked on over the weekend, and if you just be patient, I'll post the whole before and after room at the end of the month!!!

This is my Magnet Board that I constructed super easily and mega cheaply! I bought a magnetic cork board and covered it with fabric and attached ribbon for the design. The bow in the middle is actually connected to a ribbon on the back to hang on the wall.

Magnet Board

This is my office tool box that I made that was easier than the magnet board. You see, I am all about easy crafts that require no work or machinery. Maybe one day I'll actually be crafty! Anyway, I took a bead container from Hobby Lobby, wrapped it in ribbon, traced out scrapbook paper on the top and then attached the letters. I am still trying to figure out what to put on the other side but you get the idea. I filled the inside sections with office supplies.

Office tool box

Push pins, brads, paper clips, rubber bands etc.

Each year I ask my entire family when their birthday's are, and every year I write them down just to lose for the next year. So, instead I made this calendar (help from eighteen25) that you can write all the birthday's on and keep every year! I decorated the bottom of all the pages with coordinating monthly scrapbook paper, and now I will be able to use them and add to them every year. YAY! I put them into a boxed clipboard so all the pages are kept safe.

Birthday Calendar

Birthday pages

Ok, so if you thought the above items were easy, then check this out. Here is my Things To Do list that I printed from (eighteen25) and put inside a frame. All you need are dry erase markers and you can make your lists on the glass. I am the princess, next to my mom the Queen, of writing To Do Lists on paper and then hoarding them all. I have things written on paper all over my house of things that I need to get done and quite frankly it is ridiculous! So, this way I save trees and keep my house clean. 

Things to do

Dry Erase Markers

I finally put together the IKEA cubby unit (which was on sale) and filled it with lime green boxes for storage. I am in the middle of emptying out the old and haggard containers that my crafts reside in now and using these instead. Thanks Sweets for helping carry this up the stairs and with the assembly process...

Cubby Unit

 Slowly, my room is coming together and I can't wait for the finished product. I think y'all will love it...I hope!

RESOLVE TO FINISH

My April Monthly Goal is to finish my craft room! I know this may seem kind of silly to some of you, but things around our home are quite busy lately and I am finding less and less time to work on getting my craft room up and running. 
The goals for the craft room are:
- clean out and go through all the boxes that are lying on the floor and in the closet 
- organize all my craft tools and put them neatly on shelves and in storage bins
- set up the furniture layout and construct an ideal workspace
- decorate the room with accessories and design it super cute 
- make it my own


I have been trying to work on this for awhile but things come up, so I figure if I make it my April Monthly Goal I will actually get it done!!! I seriously can't wait to have it finished and I can't wait to show you the finished product. 

MAD MARCHNESS

March was definitely filled with lots of "ness"! 

Fun"ness" for the many awesome trips that we both were able to go on together and with friends.

Mindful"ness" of the wonderful friends that we have who have shown us countless amounts of love and concern.

Yummi"ness" for the amazing D-LISH meals that we enjoyed with our families for Birthday celebrations.

Cold/Hot"ness" due to the crazy Utah weather of snow with 30 degree temps one day and sunny with highs of 68 degrees the next.

Decorative"ness" for the awesome and inspiring projects that I was lucky enough to be apart of.

Mad"ness" with being glued to the skinny-tube watching hours of NCAA basketball and laughing at the poorly chosen brackets of Sweets.

Good"ness" in our hearts for the amazing blessings that we have been blessed with in our lives. 

Happi"ness" of being able to do all these things with my bestest friendest in the whole widest world...Sweets!

and Lazi"ness" for the attempted but uncompleted March/Quarter Goals!

Yoga was awesome but I trailed off a little early the last week. I guess I got busy and bored or something, but I was over it. So, I did it, but I didn't, but I did...I don't know how you figure it, but the Biking 50 miles is still on the list. It just was not finished in time. But that's not my fault. The weather has seriously been screwy and I am not about the Hardcore"ness" peeps who bike in the snow! GO HOME is often what I yell to them as i drive by drinking my DP and stuffing my face. No wonder I have the Chubbi"ness" thing going! hope that soon, although not this week, there will be a great warm day for me to take my spin.


I did however read one book for the month - Water For Elephants

HERE IS TO YOU...

Sunday Conference! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to watch and listen to the wonderful and inspiring words of our Church leaders, curled up snuggly on the couch to my Sweets with the fire warming our home! Oh, how I love the beauty and peace the snow brings...